The invention relates to a device for the external cleaning of ship's hulls.
Over time, numerous forms of life, such as algae, crustaceans, corals and the like, colonise the hulls of ships and yachts below or at the waterline, depending on the nature of the body of water. This may damage the hull material under certain circumstances, and always has a negative effect on the hydrodynamic resistance of the ship's hull, thus impairing the performance of the ship or, in the case of motor-driven ships, resulting in increased fuel consumption.
For this reason, ships have heretofore been lifted out of the water with hoisting gear about once a year and the accumulated incrustation removed manually.
According to the prior art, in order to limit or prevent colonisation of the ship's hull by living organisms, the hulls are also treated regularly with a so-called "anti-fouling" coating made of highly toxic substances, the inhibiting effect of which subsides relatively quickly, however, due to the fact that the substances used must also always be at least slightly water-soluble in order to have a toxic effect on the organisms. The use of toxic substances of this kind is problematic from the standpoint of environmental protection.